Roman Ondak Leave the Door Open, 1999

The title of the work is a direct prompt addressed to the viewers, while the work itself gives no possibility to actually do it. The work consists of a door handle affixed to the wall, at the height where the handle might be if there were a door that it could open.

Driving the work is a strong tension of several paradoxes: a door handle without a door to open, a prompt to leave the door open without there being one to have opened beforehand, suggested openness where there is nothing but closedness. These contradicting pieces of information are equally valid but difficult to reconcile.

By creating these paradoxes, Roman Ondak draws perception in two directions simultaneously. Perception has to be fully present in such cases in order to remain steady on both tracks. The double impossibility offers a balanced resolution. No door to be left open added to the prompt to not close it levels the challenge.